Community Nurse

A band 5 community nurse post in the neighbourhood team at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, working alongside GP practices, adult social care and hospice staff. The work centres on triaging referrals, assessing patients in their own homes and community settings, planning care and delivering treatments such as specialist dressings, with records kept up to date after each visit. The role is autonomous and covers rural areas, with daily routes planned independently, and is offered on fixed-term or permanent terms, full or part time.

Applicants need current or pending NMC registration, and mentorship is required once in post though not at interview.

• Triage, assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient care
• Develop care plans to ensure continuity of treatment
• Work integrated within the neighbourhood team to provide holistic care
• Communicate complex and sensitive information, gain consent and complete mental capacity assessments at each intervention
• Liaise with GPs, social services, inpatient teams, allied health professionals and the voluntary sector, including multi-agency meetings such as Gold Standard Framework
• Triage referrals for suitability, prioritise own workload and allocate team work with safe delegation of care plans
• Manage daily route and time independently, completing patient held records at each visit and Systm One input daily
• Provide a range of assessments and specialist dressings once trained
• Request supplies and equipment through electronic ordering systems
• Follow universal precautions and infection control policies, given daily exposure to bodily fluids and infected material
• Work within trust governance policies and contribute to quality improvement through critical appraisal and clinical audit
• Undertake appraisals, support the team, and support students and newly qualified staff

• RN qualification (Part 1 of the register) or equivalent
• Mentorship qualification, required once in post but not at interview

• Current or pending NMC registration

• Able to provide high standards of care

• Good communication skills
• Effective observational and reporting skills
• Good time management
• Clinical reasoning skills
• Able to use specialist equipment requiring a high level of dexterity
• Able to manoeuvre patients using handling aids

• Able to travel independently to all rural locations
• Able to use own initiative
• Able to work flexibly to meet patient and service needs
• Good interpersonal skills
• IT and standard keyboard skills
• Able to stay focused on patient care and accurate record keeping

• Leg ulcer management
• IV administration and cannulation
• ENB 998 or mentorship preparation, or equivalent
• Previous experience working in the community

• Support in the new role and encouragement in further development
• Training and development, including leadership skills and career progression
• Experience of leading, managing and developing staff
• Supportive work environment